Augusta National Chair Fred Ridley noted several improvements that will enhance the experience for playersMichael Madrid/USA TODAY NETWORK
AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Augusta National Chair Fred Ridley today outlined several improvement projects that will happen around The Masters, including two that will debut with next year’s tournament.
The club’s new Map & Flag hospitality offering opened this week across Washington Road, and Ridley said the second phase of that project will be rolled out next year. Ridley did not disclose what would be included in the second phase.
Additionally, Ridley noted several improvements that will enhance the experience for players. One of those, which will debut next year, is underground parking for players on site during tournament week. That underground parking is part of a two-phase project for players that will be completed in 2026. The second phase the following year will include a state-of-the-art, three-level facility that will “anticipate every need for players, their families, and support teams,” Ridley said.
Ridley also commented on:
- Lower viewership for golf on TV: “Part of it is just what's happening in the world of media and the fact that people are consuming content in different ways, that's happening in all sports, mobile phones, apps, social media channels, etc. ... I will acknowledge that, if you look at the data this year, golf viewers are down on linear television while other sports, some other sports are up. So you can draw your own conclusions. Certainly the fact that the best players in the world are not convening very often is not helpful.”
- On if The Masters has considered an opportunity for women professionals to play an event at Augusta National: “We've addressed this question in the past and there are some fundamental difficulties in that. We happily were able to find a way to have a competition for juniors and a competition for women amateurs sort of wrapped around the Masters Tournament, and it just seems to fit really well. To have another tournament of any kind would be very difficult based on our season, based on the fact that this is essentially a winter and spring golf course. It doesn't -- it's not open in the summer. It doesn't play the way we want it to play in the fall for a major tournament.”
